Coleman discusses seven faces of blacks in comedy. One of them that I found particularly interesting was the case of the “tragic Mulatto.” I found this term used many times during my research on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Race is not a topic I think of when I consider Buffy because it features a white cast. The main group of characters incorporates vampires, demons, witches, and werewolves, but no one of a different ethnicity. Coleman describes the Mulatto as “female, bi-racial.” These two elements are crucial to the character Kendra in Buffy. Kendra is a vampire slayer like Buffy. She enters the scene for only a few episodes to help Buffy to defeat evil. Her mixture of race can be seen as either a way to blend the two races or to transition from one to the other. At first I saw Kendra as a blend of both. However, her accent was so strong and distinct. This had to be intentional on Whedon’s part (the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer). On the other hand, the more I personally observed of the character Kendra and through the research I encountered, I see her as a tragic character who is trying to act white. Buffy is a white Slayer and therefore sets the standard in the audience’s mind regarding the paradigm of the Chosen One. In some ways it is refreshing to see a human as strong as Buffy and a kung-fu companion to create even more dynamic scenes to add to the action. However, Kendra, with her rule book Slayer mantra, tends to get on the viewer’s nerves as she criticizes Buffy’s technique and more importantly her known identity. Kendra believes that the Slayer should be an isolated figure and fight alone. Buffy proves that life is much better with a core group of friends. Besides, where would Buffy be without the Scooby Gang? In regards to the Mulatto being a tragedy, like I said earlier, Kendra is only on the show for a few episodes. She is killed in the heat of battle. As seen here, the Slayer who is full of herself is the one who ironically is killed as the “lazy” Slayer preservers.
Buffy is a representation of the face of Blacks in comedy as a side genre in horror. Another type of comedy is the family shows such as The Cosby Show. Though I have never seen The Cosby Show, I have seen Smart Guy, which is a Disney teenage portrayal of a Black contemporary family. Coleman’s fifth type, the “comic Negro” is found in this show. Each teenage character depicts a different aspect to the family. The daughter is the only female in the family unit and must therefore defend herself and be a loud presence in the house. The older brother is a dumb, lazy interpretation of Blacks. He slips by school. He is okay with this image until his elementary age brother is moved up into the high school. I see the younger brother as trying to act white and fit into the Anglo-middle class demographic.
Coleman’s seven types are all negative. However, I found a few more identities of the Black race. One I found is a negative form in that many times Blacks are seen as attempting to be White. I have found that some Blacks can be portrayed in a positive light. One of those actors is Will Smith. The movie I correlate to his Blackness is Men in Black. The title alone is a fascinating example of racial analysis. The idea of “in black” portrays a dominate color for the show. There are many racial interpretations within the film, particularly the second movie, as it comments on Will Smith’s ethnic identity. In the beginning of the first movie, we see Smith chasing down a bad guy and creating a blood-pumping high action thrill. He is chosen to participate in an exam to become a Man in Black. When he enters the testing facility, his peers are white high class military people who take themselves too seriously. Smith lightens the mood and does not conform to the environment. While the others are struggling to find a writing surface in their odd chairs, Smith makes a scene by dragging a table. During the shooting test where there are aliens for targets, Smith only shoots the little girls because she is carrying a Calculus book and is therefore more of a suspect than the aliens. He is chosen for the field and becomes a member of the secret government agency. In the second movie, Smith makes a comment about the racism in law enforcement. When he picks up his partner K, he uses a remote to call his car. An inflatable white man is sitting in the seat and then is sucked into the steering wheel. K comments on the technology and Smith replies that he used to have a black man driving, but it got pulled over too many times. Ouch!
In regards to acting White, I see two characters in the show Desperate Housewives as portraying such an image. Carlos and Gabrielle Solis are two Latino characters in the show. Gabrielle was a New York supermodel and Carlos is a big executive who earns a lot of money. There are moments of growth between these two characters, but they always revert back to their standard of shallow lives and materialistic views. There is one part where they lose all of their money, but they would rather be penniless and live in the suburbs with their white friends than move to an apartment they can afford. They both strive to live out the American dream. Gabrielle is so obsessed with her image that it takes a toll on her children. Her oldest daughter, who is a rather large child, becomes self-conscious because her mother is on the cover of Vogue magazine. This feeling of inferiority causes rebellion and a tense household. Many times, Gabrielle, through her pictures and image as a model, fits Coleman’s Black type number 6 – the “exotic primitive.” She is seen as a possession to her husband. She uses her sexuality to make him jealous and attract another boy.
Another portrayal of Blackness in this dramatic comedy is the new neighbors who move to Wisteria Lane in the second season. The Applewhites create a mixed identity through their name. By having “white” in their surname shows how they attempt to fit into a white suburbia neighborhood. However, from the first episode that introduces this family, they are sketchy. The teenager Mathew begins to date one of the white girls Danielle. Danielle alludes that her mother is racist because Bree allows her son to have his gay lover over to the house, she invites over her AA counselor and sex addict boyfriend, but her daughter is not allowed to be seen with a “hott black guy.” Matthew is portrayed as aggressive while his brother is mentally challenged. Both boys are framed for murder and do not portray flattering depictions of Black characters.
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